Get Low (2009)

This is a big downer. I mean, wow. Some movies are sad but this one actually surprises you in how down it gets.

Title: Get Low

Director: Aaron Schneider

Starring: Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, and Sissy Spacek

Rated: PG-13

Released: 2009

Rating: 4.5/5

Basic Plot: Felix Bush decides to hold a funeral party before his death so he can tell everyone the secret that had made him become a hermit.

Meaning of the Title
The title, at first glance, makes zero sense. However it is explained in the movie. It means to get everything in order before you die. That's really what this movie is about. Felix Bush realizes he is getting old and decides to get everything in order.

Get Sad
I nearly cried at the end of this movie (I got all teary eyed) and was unprepared for it. For the majority of the film it seems to be a dark comedy and by the end it's full on tragedy. I mean what else can you call it when it's revealed Felix ended up causing a woman's death (long story).

Love
Felix is in love with Mary Lee whose death he caused. He loved her and he still does (even going so far as never taking up another relationship and becoming a hermit). The romance is handled past sweetly. You first see her in a picture and wonder who she is but know that she is very important. I don't fully agree with Felix's love of Mary Lee but it's a big part of his life. In fact, it's only after he admits what happened that he sees a ghost of her and dies with a smile on his face.

Good Acting
I have to say that the majority of acting in this film is top notch. Actors just don't say their lines well but their faces also react fully to the emotions that they're portraying. I liked Lucas Black because his expressions were usually very amusing. The only problems I found were Bill Murray (his facial expressions didn't match to the others in the film) and Bill Cobbs (he seemed capable of only two types of expression with his face).

Final Thoughts
This is a very good film to see. If you like movies that are good on the characters and not so much on the action, this is one you should check out. This is (from imdb): A movie spun out of equal parts folk tale, fable and real-life...

And the poster even boasts "A True Tall Tale". What that means is that it's based a little on fact but probably didn't happen as the movie states. It's a good movie nonetheless, though. But watch it with a tissue handy.